Christmas Stories of the Meiji Era
by MrFoshizzleProTheWanderor
Summary: Join the Kenshin-gumi in these Christmas drabbles as they celebrate Christmas in both modern times and the Meiji Era. Each drabble is written especially for you, the reader, in the hopes of getting you into the Christmas spirit this holiday season :
1. The Christmas Gift

_**~Christmas Stories of the Meiji Era~**_

_A/N: December is here at long last and I'm most excited :D Not only will it snow, but with December comes Christmas and I'm anxious for the holiday to arrive! You all have been wonderful readers and or reviewers, there is no way I can think of to show my gratitude for you all taking the time to read and review my stories :) So, the only way I've come up with to thank you all is by giving you some Rurouni Kenshin Christmas Stories to get you into the holiday spirit this year :D It's the least sessha could do for you, the reader ^^ You guys are the reason why sessha is nearly glued to his computer typing these fanfics for you :) I could never thank you enough. Not even writing these stories does not seem much of a gift but I do hope you'll enjoy the drabbles XD I'm working hard on each and every one of these drabbles, making sure to check for spelling errors, grammar mistakes, and adding just enough emotion for you to feel what I'm hoping to convey within each chapter. With all this being said, I wish you all to enjoy these stories :) They're written especially for your enjoyment, so I hope you do enjoy them :D Merry Christmas!_

_**P.S.**__ I know they might not have celebrated Christmas in the Meiji Era, but please make for some allowances if you will. Thank you :)_

_**~Disclaimer~ Whether it be the Christmas season or not, I, MrFoshizzleProTheWanderor, do not own Rurouni Kenshin ^^'' **_

**The Christmas Gift**

Harsh howling winds coursed throughout the town, bringing with them an unpleasant gift of blustery snow storms. Through the tough sheen of snow, a young man stumbled awkwardly on the streets, clutching his arms, shivering. His auburn ponytail whipped violently in the stormy winds, and he could've sworn it would rip clear off his scalp in only a matter of time. His violet eyes were squinting against the cold. His breath came out in icy white puffs of frost.

_Will I die out here, _he wondered with distress. _Out here of all nights...on Christmas Eve? _

Each step was becoming more of an effort as he trudged painfully on. He had no idea where he was heading now. He was loosing all sense of direction, but worst of all, he was loosing the feeling in his numbing feet and hands. He felt on the verge of collapsing.

Never had he thought that he could feel so cold; so hollow.

Never had he thought that this could be the end of it all.

Never had he thought that his end would be caused by just a simple delicately wrapped box.

Finally, his legs decided for him that he just could move on no more. He made no effort to coax his freezing legs to keep moving. He knew even without using his brain that he had no strength, no will, to walk on anymore.

Dropping to his knees, he started to sway side to side. His vision began blurring.

_So...this is how it ends...? _He shakily reached his hand inside his gi, resting it upon the box with great regret. He caressed it close to his chest, closing his eyes, thinking, _I'm sorry, Miss Kaoru...At this rate, it doesn't seem you'll ever get the gift I wanted so badly to give to you Christmas morning. But...if you can hear my thoughts right now...I wish the best for you and all our friends I've come to know through my time staying with you at the dojo...and I hope, even if I'm not there...I hope you'll celebrate the merriest Christmas you'd ever have. _

Before he thumped painlessly to the snowy ground, he caught a final glimpse of a bright light further ahead of the road. He didn't give it a seconds thought. For in a matter of heartbeats, he blacked out on the road, allowing for the snow to come and bury him alive in its unforgiving nature.

_~ Two Days Earlier~_

A light haze of snow glittered down from the cloudy heavens above, shining as bright as any Christmas star Kenshin Himura had ever seen. He was relaxing quite comfortably outside on the dojo porch as the snow fell. His auburn bangs waved slightly against a shallow breeze, but not even Kenshin was fazed by the little cold that winter had to offer.

_Three more days, _he thought with glee. _Three more days until Christmas day. _

Behind him, a young girl with midnight blue hair passed Kenshin by without noting that he was there. When she did notice him, she whirled around and beamed.

"Kenshin!"

"Oro?"

The swordsman turned his head to look at Kaoru Kamiya. She wore a beautiful red kimono embroided with a mistletoe design. Her hair was tied back in a matching green ribbon, and as Kenshin's eyes traveled on, he noticed a gleam of happiness glowing brightly in her dazzling blue eyes.

Kenshin rose up to his feet and smiled kindly at Kaoru.

"Is there something you need, Miss Kaoru?" he asked politely.

Kaoru shook her head hastily. "Oh, no Kenshin!" she exclaimed. She stopped, shifting her feet and avoiding eye contact as much as possible with the confused rurouni. "Um...I don't need anything. I was just trying to find you so I could..."

"...could...?" Kenshin coaxed her to continue. He was growing puzzled by her odd behavior.

Kaoru looked at him, perking up and laughing nervously. "So I could...um...tell you...it's almost time for dinner! Heheh... erm...well, with that being said, I'm off!"

And like that, she was gone in a flash.

Kenshin's eyebrows were raised. Now he felt more perplexed by her behavior than ever. _Miss Kaoru is certainly acting strangely today, that she is. _Then another thought came and passed in his mind. He smiled softly and shook his head. _She's probably excited about Christmas too, _Kenshin finally decided. _That must be what it is. _

With that thought beared in mind, the red haired rurouni turned and headed inside.

**XXX**

Kenshin was now growing more curious than confused by Kaoru's unusual behavior change as the day wore on.

It all began during dinner time, when all their friends, Sanosuke, Yahiko, Megumi and even Misao and Aoshi, were at the table in addition to Kaoru and Kenshin.

When Kenshin had meerly asked Kaoru to pass the soy sauce, the woman blushed perfusely and proceeded not to pass it to him, but _throw _it _at _him instead. Kenshin didn't try and dodge it for fear of causing a mess, so he took the shot head on -_literally _head on- and ended up having the soy sauce drench his poor red hair.

It happened yet again after the soy sauce incident when Kenshin was washing the sauce out of his hair.

Kaoru had come into the bathroom with an unnecessary large load of towels. Kenshin warned her (much to his embarrassment) that he wasn't in a dignified position for her to be barging into the bathroom as he bathed. However, Kaoru hadn't listened to him and continued to ramble on and on about how sorry she was about the soy sauce and how he could use as many of her soft towels as he wanted to dry himself off with.

After that, Kenshin felt too awkward to see her again for the remainder of the day.

He sighed heavily and stared out the kitchen window at the light drizzle of snowfall. _Now sessha is for certain Miss Kaoru's odd behavior isn't just his imagination, that I am most certain of. _

If the upcoming of Christmas wasn't what was getting to Kaoru, then what was?

His good old friend, Misao, seemed to have appeared behind him from nowhere to answer his question. "Whatcha doin, Himura?"

At this, the suprised rurouni dropped the dish he was washing and his eyes nearly bugged from his head. "Oro?" Misao bonked him upside the head with her fist. Kenshin whimpered and rubbed at the forming bump as he faced an irritated Misao. "What is it you want from sessha Miss Misao?" he moaned.

"Kenshin Himura, you can be so clueless sometimes you swirly-eyed weirdo!" flared Misao.

"What on Earth are you talking about Miss Misao?" Kenshin snapped, giving up on cleaning the dishes and fully whirling around to face the young girl. Misao crossed her arms and glared at him through narrowed green eyes. "As if _you _don't know what I'm saying," she retorted. "I'm talking about all the signs Kaoru's been giving you _all day._"

Kenshin arched a brow.

Misao growled, facepalming.

"Kaoru has been hinting that she has a Christmas present for you and she can't wait to see what you got _her._"

Kenshin gaped.

_Oh no! _he gasped. _She has a gift for me, but I don't have one for her!_

He ran a hand through his red bangs. This could not be happening. This just couldn't be happening.

Misao pointed an accusing finger at the distressed rurouni. "Ha! So you _didn't _get Kaoru a Christmas present!" Her eyebrows furrowed. "Himura, I'm really ashamed of you!"

Kenshin looked at her. "I know..." he started.

"I mean, what kind of man doesn't buy a gift for his sweetheart?"

He sweatdropped. "Sweet...heart?" He groaned. "Miss Misao, Kaoru and I are certainly not..."

But Misao raged on. "You can be so cold-hearted Himura! You inconciderate, cross-shaped scar bearing, ponytailed, pink wearing-"

Kenshin let her continue no further. "It is not _pink, _it's _MAGENTA!" _he protested pathetically, then went on more calmly but with a shaky voice, trying to keep his anger concealed. "I...had no idea of knowing Miss Kaoru had bought a present for sessha until you brought it up, that I did not! Kenshin Himura is no cold hearted person Miss Misao, that I can assure you of right now. If I would've known Miss Kaoru had enough compassion to get me a present, don't you think I would have done the same for her?"

Misao snorted, "You shouldn't have to know Kaoru got you a present in order to get one for her! You should've just bought one without a second thought, you jerk!"

Kenshin knew Misao was right. He had his mouth slightly opened, ready to argue back at the weasel girl, but he closed his jaw after letting her words sink into his self concious. He felt an unpleasant sense of guilt cloud his thoughts.

_What can I do now? _thought Kenshin with much remorse. _There is only three days till Christmas. That's not enough time to find a gift for Miss Kaoru... _

"Why don't you just go into town and see if you can buy her something there?"

Kenshin looked at Misao. "Do you really believe I can find Miss Kaoru something in town?" he inquired.

She nodded.

"If there's any place I know to buy the things you need," said Misao, smirking. "You can _usually_ always find it in town."

Kenshin dipped his head gratefully to her. "Thank you Miss Misao," he murmured, a new sense of relief washing over him. Misao just shrugged. "No problem Himura," she replied. Then she grinned mischieviously. "I can only imagine what your gonna get for Kaoru. It must be somethin pretty hot! Hehe."

A streak of blush found its way across Kenshin's face. He went past Misao hastily so she wouldn't see how embarrassed she'd made him, but somehow, Kenshin had a feeling she already knew by the snickering he heard behind himself as he left.

**XXX**

Kenshin studied the items on the shelves in awe.

He'd found a nice looking shop selling Christmas decor, food and gifts while walking along in town trying to find a decent place to shop. Kenshin figured he'd give it a try considering all around town, people were bustling and hurrying along at the other shops and the lines seemed endless as far as his wandering eyes could see.

Never before had he seen the strange objects he was looking at now. Bright multicolored orbs gleamed on a pine tree, held onto the pine tree's branches by small silver hooks. Kenshin stared intently at a red one, which in turn reflected his intent gaze back to him. Turning away, he moved along to look around at the other colorfully filled shelves.

Some shelves had fluffy brown teddy bears wearing Santa hats and holding fuzzy red and green boxes. Other shelves were filled with little trinkets and toys like spinning tops, sparklers, wooden trains, etc. but there was nothing that lied on the shelves that screamed, "Miss Kaoru will love this!"

Finally Kenshin heaved a deep sigh and exited the store, unsuccessful in his search for the perfect gift for Kaoru.

_What am I going to do now? _he wondered as he began strolling back to the dojo with his head hanging low. _I couldn't find Miss Kaoru anything in that shop. _He had no clue how he was going to tell Kaoru by the time Christmas morning would come. He could already picture it in his mind: Kaoru, with a cheerful smile, handing him his present, looking at him expectantly, waiting for a gift that would cease to come from him.

He shook himself begrudgidly. There had to be some way he could get Kaoru a present in less than three days. Kenshin stopped in his tracks, thinking over the possibilities in his mind.

_I could always make her something... _he thought. Kenshin tossed that idea out immediatly. _No, sessha can't make her something, that I cannot. I don't have enough creativity to do that._

_I could always give my money to Miss Megumi and she could go buy the gift for me... Then again, knowing her, she'd want something in return...and sessha isn't sure he'd be willing to take on that kind of commitment. _

Another idea came to mind. Kenshin hesitated. _Should I...really travel all the way to Kyoto? _He remembered somewhere in Kyoto, he and Tomoe had taken a look at some western culture Christmas items, but he'd never given the place much thought until now.

Kenshin rose his violet eyes to the sky helplessly.

_If I return to Kyoto, _he wondered. _Will I be able to find the perfect gift for Miss Kaoru...?_

At this point in time, Kenshin didn't think he had another choice. If he traveled to Kyoto, he probably would still have enough time to return back to Tokyo by Christmas Eve at the least.

_I'll find you a gift Miss Kaoru, _he vowed silently in his mind. _Even if it means going all the way to Kyoto..._

Kenshin turned around, walking the opposite way of the dojo, on the road that would soon lead to Kyoto.

**XXX**

Christmas Eve arrived faster than Kaoru thought. Already, a heavy storm of snow was baralling from the sky, and the dojo was decked with bright Christmas decorations and a single medium-sized pine tree Sanosuke and Yahiko cut down in the woods earlier that day.

No one had seen any sign of Kenshin for two days. The more Kaoru thought about this, the more unsettled she felt.

_I hope he's alright._

According to the people in town, no human being would be caught dead in a raging storm such as this. Kaoru's grip tightened on the half opened shoji door. _Please Kenshin, _she pleaded quietly. _Where ever you are, please come back to the dojo safe and sound..._

"Hey there Kaoru!" Misao's voice rose Kaoru from her deep thoughts. She twirled around to see Misao and Aoshi. Misao was wearing a bright festive outfit: a green kimono with little red ribbons embroided on it and a red ribbon tied in her pigtail. Aoshi wore a nice fitting black suit with a midnight blue tie. His face gave no way of guessing what was on his mind. He was solemn and quiet.

Kaoru drew her attention from Aoshi and turned back to Misao. Her blue eyes glinted with worry. "Have you seen Kenshin Misao?" she asked, hope rising in her chest.

Misao blinked, only to arch a brow and give a thoughtful frown. "No," she replied. "I haven't seen Himura since I sent him to town two days ago-"

"Two days ago?" Her eyes were wide with dismay.

"Yeah, so what?"

Kaoru drew in a trembling breath and stammered, "T-that's...impossible...If you sent Kenshin into town two days ago..." Her eyes turned glossy with unshed tears. "...then...he would be back at the dojo the same day you sent him out..." She felt her legs were going to give out. The room started spinning like a merry-go-round. Kaoru began feeling a pulsating pounding in her head.

"Kaoru..._Kaoru!_"

Thump.

The poor Kamiya girl had fainted onto the floor. A final thought ran through her mind before then:

_Did Kenshin decide to become a wanderer once more...?_

**XXX**

**_~Now~_**

A warm sensation flowed through the rurouni's body instead of the cold chills he once felt before.

_Am I dead? _wondered Kenshin.

He mumbled restlessly, forcing open his eyes and squinting through a bright light hovering at his side. He realized with surprise that he wasn't dead and he was no longer out in the freezing cold. Instead, he had been placed in a warm bed with a warm blanket draped over his body.

_This is my bed... _Rising into a sitting position, he gazed around the dimly lit room and noticed it was _his _room. The light he had seen was meerly a lit candle. He was wearing his usual night-wear instead of his favorite magenta kimono and light gray hakama. His favorite wear lied folded neatly close-by.

Kenshin smiled. He was back at the dojo at long last. _No, _he mentally corrected himself. _I'm back home..._

The shoji doors slid open. Snapping his head toward the sound, Kenshin's eyes lit and his spirits soared when he caught sight of Kamiya Kaoru at his door. Kenshin smiled softly. _I'm right back where I should be._

He gave her a gesture telling her she could enter. Slowly and cautiously, Kaoru came in, her face plastered with mixed feelings as she sat at the foot of Kenshin's bed without a word.

Kenshin frowned slightly at this. He was expecting her to be somewhat happy to see he was alright. Instead, the face his eyes traveled over was only filled with anger and sadness. Finally Kaoru spoke up to penetrate the silence.

"Kenshin, you baka!"

"Oro?" He blinked.

"You had me worried sick about you!" she raged, eyes ablaze but welling with crystal tears. "How could you just run off like that without a word to anyone? I thought you were wandering again...or even dead!"

Kenshin could only stare at her in deep shock.

"If your expecting me to be relieved to see you back..." She tightened her eyes shut as a rush of tears flowed down her cheeks. "...then...then you can just forget it!" Kenshin's eyes softened to a pair of gentle violets and he leaned forward quietly, wiping the tears from her cheek with his thumb. Kaoru fluttered her dampened eyes open, seeing what the rurouni was doing, eyes stretching.

"I'm sorry to have worried you Miss Kaoru," murmured Kenshin. "I never meant to hurt you-"

Kaoru leered away. Kenshin's eyes widened at this. "Who said you ever hurt me?" she exclaimed angrily.

Kenshin was unfazed by her hostility.

"I can tell it by the look in your eyes. Your eyes tell sessha a whole new story entirely, that they do." He chuckled. "Your eyes give you away quite easily Miss Kaoru." Kaoru felt the need to slap Kenshin upside the head, but she let him continue on while she remained silent, blushing slightly.

"The only reason I left..." He looked about the floor until he spotted his kimono nearby. Stretching toward it, he grabbed the kimono, dragging it onto his lap and proceeding to dig into his gi. Kaoru arched a brow.

Kenshin pulled out something Kaoru hadn't expected to see: a small green gift-wrapped box tied together by a red ribbon. He finished, "...was to get you this, Miss Kaoru."

At first, Kaoru hesitated to take it from his outstretched hand. She still felt inwardly hurt by his unsaid leaving. Then she decided to put her resentment aside and took the box without a word. As if it were the most fragile thing in the world, Kaoru slowly raised her fingers to the red ribbon and pulled on it.

Kenshin went on to speak as she began unwrapping her present. "Sessha thought you deserved only the most perfect gift he could find, that I did. That is why I made a journey all the way to Kyoto to get it for you."

Under the ribbon and wrapping, the box was pure white. Kaoru lifted the lid off and revealed at last what lied inside. She gaped.

"Merry Christmas Kaoru," Kenshin whispered, smiling.

Inside the box was a silver locket gleaming in the halflight with bold black letters inscribed on the front: _**Love**_

"Oh Kenshin..." Kaoru was at a loss for words. "Its...beautiful..." She looked up to him with a new found feeling of affection. "Merry Christmas Kenshin," she whispered back.

She grinned. "Now its _your_ turn to recieve your present baka."

Kenshin stared at her in surprise but heaved a happy sigh and said, "Alright Miss Kaoru..."

"But you have to shut your eyes first," she added, giggling.

"Oro?" Not wanting to defy the easily tempered tanuki, Kenshin did as he was told. Kenshin was overjoyed afterwards when he felt warm lucious lips press as gently as an angels wing upon his lips.

Though it was still snowing heavily outside, the two lovers inside had found comfort and warmth through the worst of the storm...in eachothers arms on a Christmas day morning.

**_Owari_**

_I hope you liked this story as much as I liked writing it :) It was really enjoyable to type up ^^ Its a tad bit fluffier than I thought it would be, but I was amused by it in the end. Please dont be shy to review and give your critism. I'd be delighted to know your thoughts on the story. There is more to come! Until then, sayonara, and thank you for reading! Happy holidays!_

_P.S. Here is what her necklace looks like if you'd like to check it out for yourself :) Make sure to take the spaces out of the url when you copy and paste it in the search bar:_

_http: / www. google .com / imgres ?um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1024&bih=451&tbm=isch&tbnid=HYg02xH-YXtY1M:&imgrefurl=.com/shc/s/t_10153_12605%3FtName%&docid=ZhD8v7jqjI-vyM&imgurl=.net/rpx/i/s/pi/mp/3343/5704226201p%253Fsrc%253Dhttp%25253A%25252F%.com%25252FSilver%25252FSH%25252FNECKLACES%%2526d%&w=248&h=248&ei=j0vVTsHyDYL50gGZspH0AQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=623&vpy=136&dur=4543&hovh=198&hovw=198&tx=84&ty=219&sig=102672475052167739180&page=5&tbnh=103&tbnw=99&start=48&ndsp=16&ved=1t:429,r:13,s:48_

_~MrFoshizzleProTheWanderor_


	2. Mommy Kissed Santa Claus!

_**~Christmas Stories of the Meiji Era~**_

_A/N: This next story your sure to love if you are a fan of little Kenji Himura :D Enjoy!_

_**~Disclaimer~ Whether it be the Christmas season or not, I, MrFoshizzleProTheWanderor, do not own Rurouni Kenshin ^^'' **_

**Mommy Kissed Santa Claus!**

He made sure to be as silent as a mouse when he tip-toed down the staircase to take a peek at what lied downstairs. His dark auburn hair glowed brilliantly beside the Christmas lights tied about the stair railings. The young child hoped not to be seen. This young child was named Kenji Himura.

Kenji looked about with wide excited blue eyes. He couldn't wait to catch Santa this year. He had tried to catch even the tiniest glimpse of Santa for four years straight, but to no avail. Now that he was five, Kenji was determined to see Santa this year, even if it put him on the naughty list.

_I'm feeling lucky this year! _He thought happily. _I know I'll see him this time. I just know it!_

Footsteps sounded into the room. Jumping with fright, the child scrambed to the far side of the staircase, hiding behind a wall, his breathing coming out slow and silent. He prayed in his head that whoever was down there didn't see him. After a few moments of hiding, Kenji dared to take a glance through the railings. And to his astonishment and utter delight, Kenji saw a man wearing a red suit with black boots, a matching Santa hat and a beared as white as snow.

He gasped. "It's him!" whispered Kenji excitedly to himself. "It's Santa Claus!" He wiggled happily on the stairs, so overjoyed he couldn't conceal it.

However, suddenly, a new figure caught the boy's eye and he settled down to take in the figures features. It was a woman, no doubt. She had midnight blue hair that shined when the Christmas lights on the tree shone their rays upon it. Her eyes were as blue as the ocean, full of affection as she stood behind the rather short and thin Santa Claus. When she lied a hand on Santa's shoulder, the man's eyes grew large with surprise.

"Oro?" Santa's violet eyes glanced sideways over his shoulder and Kenji watched on in silence as the woman smiled and Santa smiled warmly in return. Kenji gaped as a sudden realization dawned upon him. _Wait a minute...that's mommy! _

Kenji arched a brow. _What is she doing down there with Santa? _

It seemed the little boy got more then he had bargained for. Kaoru leaned forward, pressing her lips onto Santa's beard covered lips. Santa brushed away the beard from his lips. He lifted Kaoru's chin in his gloved hand, kissing her back passionately.

Kenji stuck his tongue out in disgust. "Eww!" he muttered, ripping his eyes away from the scene. "Mommy and Santa are kissing!" Then a question entered his mind, changing his expression from mortal disgust to absolute wonder. "But mommy and daddy are married, not mommy and Santa!" Reluctantly, he looked back to the couple who were now embraced in a snuggly hug. "Why is mommy kissing Santa Claus?"

Kenji heard Santa murmur something. Quieting himself, he held a hand behind his ear and listened intently to what they were saying.

"I love you Kaoru," whispered Santa.

Kaoru chuckled. "I love you too Santa Claus." She pulled playfully on his beard. Santa 'oroed' once more, but chuckled good-naturedly with Kenji's mother. Kenji heard something else.

"This one has other deliveries to make to the good boys and girls of the world," Santa said.

Kaoru shook her head slowly. "Not tonight you don't," she murmured.

Kenji had a puzzled look on his face. Aloud, he accidently said, "What does mommy mean by that?"

Instantly, Kaoru and Santa looked to the staircase, staring right at Kenji. The little boy gave a yelp of surprise, stumbling quickly back up the stairs and pretended to be fast asleep in his bed.

Kaoru looked from her husband to the staircase and back again. 'Santa' seemed to be doing the same as well, for he looked back to Kaoru with questioning violet eyes. Kaoru meerly smiled at him, shaking her head, whispering, "Let's not get onto Kenji tonight, honey. He's been a good boy. We'll let him get away with sneaking a peek down here this year."

Kenshin agreed with a dip of his head, smiling his signature smile. Kaoru looped her arm through his, glancing at him, saying, "Now, how about we head into the kitchen and have some of those Christmas cookies?"

Kenshin laughed. "Sure, honey," he chuckled. Then he sweatdropped. "Just as long as you didn't..."

"Don't worry baka." She pat him softly on the shoulder. "The cookies are store bought this time. One hundred percent bakery-made." As they both strolled into the kitchen with their arms intertwined, Kenji lied upstairs in his bed, replaying what had happened in his head and smiling softly at the thought.

_I bet daddy will get a kick out it when I tell him I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus. _Kenji snickered before snuggling into his warm comforter and falling fast asleep.

**_XXX_**

The next morning, Kenji told his daddy what he had seen that night. And Kenshin had surely gotten a kick out of it alright, but not the kind of kick Kenji was expecting.

Kenshin lied on the living room floor, buggy-eyed and gaping, his face as red as his own hair. Kaoru walked in, nearly dropping the tray of hot cocoa she held in her hand as she gaped at her husband worriedly. "What happened to your daddy, sweetheart?" She looked fretfully to her five year old son.

Kenji, looking just as confused as she felt, shrugged and scratched his head. "I don't know mommy," he started. "One moment I was telling daddy how funny it was when I saw you kissing Santa Claus last night, and the next thing I knew-"

Cling!

Thump!

"Huh?" Kenji stopped in the middle of explaining.

Peering around the corner of the couch, he saw that his mother had taken fall on the floor as well, the hot cocoa spilling everywhere from the tipped over mugs and her face beat red. He gaped. "Yeah!" he exclaimed like he had made a miraculous discovery. "That's exactly how daddy reacted!" He sighed and shook his small auburn head. "Mommy, daddy...I love you two to death, but honestly, you can really make a five year old start wondering about you...That's definately the truth."

_Owari_

_I had a real fun time writing this short story, that I did X3 I hope you had some fun reading it my friends ^^ As mentioned before, please dont be shy to review and give your critism. I'd be delighted to know your thoughts on the story. Until next time, ja ne!_

_~MrFoshizzleProTheWanderor_

_A/N: This one has a MegumiXSanosuke pairing but I didn't leave out any humor, that I didn't ^^; Enjoy! :D_

_**~Disclaimer~ Whether it be the Christmas season or not, I, MrFoshizzleProTheWanderor, do not own Rurouni Kenshin ^^'' **_


	3. Deck the Clinic

_**~Christmas Stories of the Meiji Era~**_

_A/N: This one has a MegumiXSanosuke pairing :) Enjoy! :D_

_**~Disclaimer~ Whether it be the Christmas season or not, I, MrFoshizzleProTheWanderor, do not own Rurouni Kenshin ^^'' **_

**Deck the Clinic**

Sanosuke Sagara whistled a catchy tune as he walked down the snow covered streets of town. All around, snow glistened upon the rooftops of many houses, resturaunts and shops. The grayish skies foretold of lighter snowfall to come. Sanosuke smirked as the clinic came into view.

The ganster knocked on the entrance, watching as a certain female doctor stopped what she was doing, hearing her sigh and seeing her turn to him with slitted teal eyes. "Oh why am I not surprised?" said Megumi Takani , a hint of sarcasm in her voice. She turned back around to her medicines, heaving a sigh. "You might as well come in Rooster Head. I wouldn't want to treat you for frostbite of all times of the year."

Curious by what Megumi meant, Sanosuke entered the clinic and asked, "Whatdya mean by that Vixen?"

Megumi stacked her medicines in perfect alignment before facing Sanosuke once again. "It's winter time, isn't it?" Sanosuke nodded. He scratched his head and arched a thick black brow. "Well yeah...but what I meant was is there some kind of special thing goin' on or somethin'? Because you said, 'of all times of the year'."

Though her irritance with the Rooster Head never ceased, she found a smile spread on her lips. "Since you asked," she replied. "I might as well fill you in on it."

Megumi strided over to the opposite wall where the calendar hung. She took it down with great care and ease. Then she returned and stood in front of Sanosuke, flipping through the tear-away pages of her calendar until she found the date she was searching for and pointed to the date with a manicured finger nail.

"On December twenty-fifth, in some western cultures, they celebrate a fun and wonderful holiday known as Christmas. During Christmas, one decorates the inside and sometimes even the _outside_ of their homes, putting up garland, hanging stockings over a fireplace if they have one, putting up and decorating a pine tree, making Christmas cookies, and wrapping presents to give to their fellow friends and loved ones." She closed the calendar up and placed it back on its original hanging. "It's a fun holiday for some," Megumi continued. She frowned just the tiniest bit and her eyes downcasted.

She passed Sanosuke by and sat down in a chair. "But for others, it is one of the busiest most stressful times of the year, me included." Megumi glanced over at Sanosuke.

He had a thoughtful expression on his face that quickly wiped away when he noticed her staring. He looked at her. "So," he said. "This _Christ-mas _whatcha-ma-call-it is a holiday, right?"

Megumi facepalmed inwardly but replied calmly, "Yes."

Sanosuke pulled up a chair in front of her and sulked down into it. He rose his brown eyes to meet her teal eyes as he continued with the questioning. "Why is it so busy for you around this time but not other people?" Megumi averted her eyes from Sanosuke's as she spoke. "It's complicated to explain Sano," she murmured softly. "However, I will say that I've even been busy growing up as a child with my family. We never had the time to celebrate or think about such silly holidays like Christmas." She dared to look Sanosuke in the eye as she went on.

"And I don't expect this year to be any less different then all those years before." Megumi rose up, taking her leave of the room, saying over her shoulder nonchalantly, "Now if you excuse me, I have patients I need to tend to. Happy Holidays and what not."

Sanosuke's brows deepened as he watched her vanish around the corner. He thought, _So she's never celebrated this Kinish- whatever it's called? _He got up and left.

Suddenly, a thought struck him in the head, causing him to crookedly smirk at the idea. _Huh, well then... _Sanosuke glanced over his shoulder one last time at the clinic. His brown eyes sparked.

_I guess this years' gonna be different this time._

* * *

><p>The heavy winds blew during the cold winters night as Megumi locked up the clinic doors. She hugged herself against the cold, grimacing. "Well, it's off to home until tomorrow morning." She twisted around, trudging off until she disappeared behind a clean sheet of snow.<p>

From among the darkness beside the clinic, a lanky figure stepped into the lamplight, revealing it to be Sanosuke. He held Kenshin's wash tub in his chilled hands, and inside it lied garland, cloth-wrapped items, empty boxes, and much more. _Hopefully Kenshin doesn't mind me borrowing some of his things, _he told himself as he went to unlock the door with a spare key he had stolen from Megumi months ago.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Megumi went to the doors of the clinic to unlock them as a start to her usual morning routine. However, when she pushed her key through the lock, she discovered, much to her dismay, that the doors had been opened. Opening it the rest of the way cautiously, Megumi inhaled deeply and poked her head inside to look around. What she saw made her gasp.<p>

Garland was looped about the ceiling and several red scented candles had been lit. Red socks were nailed to the window sill with care, and in the center of the clinic lied a fair sized pine tree decorated with Christmas ornaments which glistened against the bright flame of the candles. Wrapped up boxes were huddled around the stump of the tree. And sitting on the counter beside the medicines was a plate filled with red and green sprinkled cookies.

Megumi stepped in, too shocked by what she was seeing to barely utter a word. "W-what _is_ all this?"

"Hey."

Megumi whirled around, heart racing in her chest. To her bewilderment, Sanosuke was leaning in the entrance of the clinic, a warm smile on his face and his brown eyes staring at her with much gentleness.

Her words caught in her throat. Grabbing the nerve to speak, she stammered, "S-Sanosuke, what did you do?"

Sanosuke moved off the entrance and walked toward her. The look on his face changed to an emotion unfamiliar to the female doctor. As Megumi was trying to grasp what was going on, the ganster held the side of her face in the palm of his hand. He looked her right in the eye before bestowing upon her lips a single soft kiss.

He released. Megumi was left stunned where she stood. Sanosuke was blushing a little, avoiding eye contact and muttering, "Um...yeah. So...Merry Christmas and all that. Sorry about decorating your clinic. I kinda felt bad you never celebrated an authentic Christmas with your family, so I tried to make it as authentic as I could for ya...but I think I really failed at it obviously-"

Megumi slapped him playfully on the arm, something she had never done before. "Don't worry about it you silly Rooster Head," she said, lowering her hand. She gave him a small amused smile. "I actually...kind of like it."

Sanosuke looked at her with disbelief. "Your serious?" he exclaimed.

Megumi solemnly nodded.

Sanosuke sighed with relief. "Whoo! That's a good thing." He chuckled, shaking his head. "For a second there, I thought you'd be mad that I snuck into the clinic just to do this."

"Oh, I am," interrupted Megumi. Her eyes narrowed. "In fact-" She grabbed the spikey haired man by his ear hard. He winced.

"Yow!"

"I'm going to pick out a punishment that I see fit for breaking and entering a doctor's clinic." She let his ear go. "But, since you went through all the trouble of doing this..." She sighed. "I suppose I can let you off with a fair warning this time. However, that doesn't mean your off the hook Rooster Head." Megumi folded her arms across her chest. "And on top of breaking and entering, you still found the nerve to _kiss _me."

Sanosuke grinned. "Well Vixen, look up," he told her.

Megumi glanced up. Hanging between them, Megumi realized it was a mistletoe. She smiled then looked back to Sanosuke. "Merry Christmas you big oaff," she murmured.

"And a Merry Christmas to you, you Fox Lady."

The man and woman hugged eachother, standing beneath the mistletoe, enjoying eachothers warmth on this cold winter's morning. This was truly a day Megumi would cherish for a lifetime. And so would Sanosuke.

"Hey Sanosuke?"

"Yeah Vixen?"

"Are these Sir Ken's socks nailed on my window sill?"

Sanosuke blinked. He sweatdropped and laughed nervously. "Uh...yeah, about that-"

"And these cookies taste an awful lot like Sir Ken's cooking!" Megumi glared at the agitated-growing rooster head.

"I can explain, _really!_"

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile... <em>

_Dear Kenshin,_

_If your reading this now, then I might as well let you know I __borrowed your things. I hope you understand, man. Thanks alot! Your a real life saver!_

_Your friend,_

_Sanosuke_

Kenshin skimmed across the note several times before he sat it down on the floor. He sighed, hanging his head low. "Sano..." he muttered. "Why couldn't you leave this ones things alone?" However, Kenshin had to smile at that. _He's probably borrowing my things for a good cause, he is. But I surely hope he knows that Miss Megumi can tell what things are mine and what things are not. _Kenshin chuckled. Oh well. He knew the rooster would figure it out sooner or later.

_Merry Christmas Sano. I hope you and Miss Megumi have a wonderful holiday, that I do. _

_Owari_

_I hope you took a liking to it ^-^ _

_Thanks for reading! Please review if you can. It only takes a moment of your time and I'd be delighted to hear what you think :)_

_Till the next story, ja ne!_

_~MrFoshizzleProTheWanderor_


	4. The True Meaning of Christmas

_**~Christmas Stories of the Meiji Era~**_

_A/N: This one might be a tear-jerker for some. A thousand apologies for adding the angst to this particular story, but I couldn't help it ^^; So hopefully it won't be sad enough to make you cry, but nevertheless it has a sweet ending. Enjoy :)_

_**~Disclaimer~ Whether it be the Christmas season or not, I, MrFoshizzleProTheWanderor, do not own Rurouni Kenshin ^^;**_

**The True Meaning of Christmas**

"Now, now Kenji. You've known for weeks that our friends and relatives were coming in to spend the holidays with us this year." Kenshin was speaking to his fourteen-year old son Kenji on the couch in the living room, trying to get through to his grouchy teenage boy. Kenji huffed indignantly, glaring at his father with defiant blue eyes.

"But dad!" he protested. "It's Christmas Break and I promised Himiki that I would go sledding with her and the rest of my friends. Can't we just hold off on this until next year?" His blue eyes looked pleadingly at his father. However, Kenshin heaved a sigh and shook his crimson head. "No Kenji," Kenshin told him. "Christmas is something our family does not hold off on, that it isn't."

Kenshin reached out a hand to touch his sons slumping shoulder sympathetically but the boy saw this and leered away. "Yeah right!" Kenji retorted, standing up and bolting out of the room without a word.

Kenshin sighed.

Each and every year always seemed to be the same around their house. The young boy refused to spend time with the family, no matter who it was, and left Kaoru and Kenshin in an awkward position. _But I suppose that's a little of mine and Kaoru's fault, _thought the man with much dread.

Both Kaoru and Kenshin had jobs that occupied most of their time, especially around the holidays. The work seemed to never be done, and they barely had enough time in the day to spend with Kenji as it was. After working exhausting hours at the office Kenshin's adopted father Hiko was in charge of, all Kenshin and Kaoru wanted to do after returning home was sleep in.

This year, however, Kenshin and Kaoru's combined hard-work and begging got them a few weeks off of work, which Kenshin was determined to use the given time to reunite their family and friends together just like old times. But stubborn Kenji Himura was making it all the more difficult to do. Kenshin had no clue how he would bring this broken-up family back together after three long years of seperation.

Suddenly, the doorbell rung, zapping Kenshin from his thoughts. Rising up, the man made his way to the door but was beaten by his anxious wife just by a split second. Kaoru swung the door open, a wide smile splaying across her face and her eyes lighting with life. "Hello everyone!" she greeted cheerfully, stepping aside. "Please, come in."

The first to enter was Sanosuke, followed shortly after by Megumi, Yahiko, Tsubame, Misao and finally Aoshi. Kenshin smiled gratefully as all their friends and relatives filed in.

Yahiko and Sanosuke, Kenshin recalled, were Kaoru's brothers and Megumi and Misao were her cousins. Aoshi was Kenshin's eldest brother, and as he came in, Kenshin couldn't help but feel relieved that at least the quiet, silent man had accepted the invitation even though his schedule was probably the busiest of all times of the year.

The first voice that rang the silence of the house was Misao Makimachi's. Her big green eyes shined brilliantly as she made her announcement. "Me and Aoshi are engaged to marry the following spring!" And instantly, the front foyer buzzed with joyful shrieks of congradulatory words.

"Oh Misao, I'm so happy for you!" yelped Kaoru, wrapping her younger cousin in a warm hug.

"I just had a feeling something good would come out of the two of you dating for so long!" Megumi chimed in happily. The girls were huddled about Misao, squealing in delight about the proposal.

Kenshin glanced at his brother. "Aoshi," he said.

The tall man turned his icy blue eyes onto him. "Yes?" he replied quietly.

Kenshin casted his eyes back to the girls momentarily, then added, "I'm sure you'll make Miss Misao a very happy woman, that you will." He closed his violet eyes, smiling. Aoshi smiled a little in return. "Thank you," Aoshi murmured. "I appreciate your confidence in me."

Meanwhile, Kenji came into the foyer to investigate what all the commotion was about. When he saw everyone acting rather foolish and jolly, he snorted and began to walk off, hands stuffed into his jean pockets, caring less now about what everyone was so happy about.

Kenshin caught sight of his auburn-haired son just before the boy slipped out into the living room. He gripped Kenji lightly around the shoulder. Kenji jumped, startled by the touch and turning his blue eyes to his father's face.

He frowned. "What do you want, dad?" Kenji asked, eyes changing to annoyed blue slits. Kenshin was unfazed by his son's irritance. He kept on smiling and said, "I'd very much like you to come and say hello to our guests. Afterall, they're your family too, that they are."

Wrenching his shoulder from his fathers grasp, Kenji turned and stomped off, muttering under his breath. "Whatever. If you need me, I'll be in my room." And he disappeared around the corner of the hall without any acknowledgement whatsoever to the guests.

Yahiko cocked his spikey head to the side. He asked, "Hey Kenshin, was that Kenji I heard?" The commotion ceased in the foyer as all eyes turned to the wary red head.

Kenshin laughed awkwardly. "Uh...yes, as a matter of fact, it was. But...Kenji really isn't in the mood to visit right now, so-"

"I can only imagine." It was Sanosuke who voiced in. He had his eyes shut, but when heads turned to look at him, Sanosuke opened his eyes and explained. "The kids' a teenager now, right?" He folded his arms and leaned in the doorway. "He probably thinks he's too _cool_ to hang out with a bunch of mature adults like us." Sanosuke smirked. "But I guess that's how the cookie crumbles. And speaking of cookies-" He looked to Kaoru. "Have you made any food yet, missy? I'm starving!"

"Stop being so rude Rooster-Head!" exclaimed Megumi, slapping Sanosuke across the face.

"Hey, ow! Whatdya do that for?"

"I swear, your speaking so highly of us _adults _and yet you stand here and act as though your a child!"

"Am not! I'm just hungry. Geez! Can't a guy get a break around here?"

Kenshin drowned out their arguement and the voices around himself. He was transfixed in his own worried thoughts. He wondered, _Will I _ever _get this family together?_

* * *

><p>Kenji heaved a great sigh, slumping onto his bed angrily. "Stupid parents," he muttered, flopping over on his back to gaze up at the pale gray ceiling. "Stupid relatives. I can never do anything I want to do!" He lied the palms of his hands over his face with a grunt.<p>

As if on cue, his black cellphone vibrated on his nightstand. He turned over and fumbled for the contraption until he had a grip on it and checked the caller I.D. In blue digital letters, the screen displayed the name 'Himiki'. His heart lurching, Kenji struggled to a sitting position before taking the call quickly.

"Hello?" he breathed, panicking that she might have hung up.

To Kenji's relief, he recieved a reply back. "Hey, it's Himiki," said the cheery warm voice on the other line. Then, teasingly, she added, "Is this Kenji Himura I'm speaking to?"

"Y-yes it is!" Kenji stammered out. He flushed with embarrassment and murmured, "Um...s-sorry about that. I just didn't expect you to call and I kinda panicked and-"

"It's alright Kenji," Himiki reassured him calmly. "I understand. I was just making sure you were alright. You didn't show up to come sledding with us so I got worried that you were sick or something."

Kenji winced, a cloud of guilt befalling him. "Sorry I didn't show," he apologized pathetically. "I was caught up in...er..._other_ matters." _Other matters as in my dumb family, _he added vehemently.

"Oh..." There was a pause before Himiki spoke again. "Well...that's fine. I'm happy that your okay, though."

Kenji felt horrible. Never in his life did he feel like he'd let someone down until now. This was a first for him, but it didn't make him feel any better. Suddenly, Himiki's voice interrupted his feeling of guilt.

"...lk to you later, 'kay?"

Kenji blinked his blue eyes twice. Nervously, he asked, "Heh...sorry. I didn't hear you the first time. Could you repeat that again?"

Another pause, then, "Yeah. I said, 'I'll talk to you later, 'kay?'"

Kenji nodded. "Uh-uh sure! Talk to you later Himiki...Bye."

"Alright...Goodbye."

He ended the call reluctantly, sighing once more. _Great. She probably hates me now because I didn't show up. _Kenji tossed the cellphone aside and layed back down in silence again.

* * *

><p>Something was shaking Kenji's arm as he slept. Grumbling, he cracked open a drowsy eye to see what it was. Sure enough, it was his father, Kenshin. He was smiling softly with a gentle gleam in his violet eyes. Kenji sneered and ignored him.<p>

Nevertheless, Kenshin didn't give up trying to wake up his slumbering son. And when Kenji realized this, much to his irritance, he awoke at last and yawned, pulling his arm free of his father's hold and staring him in the eye bitterly.

"What?" he rasped, still tired but awake enough to take in what Kenshin had to say. Kenshin straightened up, beaming brightly. "Today we're going to go Christmas Caroling! Won't that be fun?" Kenji's expression turned to deep revulsion. "Your not serious, are you dad?" he inquired, hoping it wasn't true and he was waking up to a horrible nightmare.

The next thing Kenji knew, he was walking along the sidewalk, pouting with his arms crossed and fitted into a warm fuzzy red Christmas sweater that had a reindeer-design scampering over the front. He wore a Santa hat on top of his auburn head, allowing for it to hide his darkened eyes below it's fluffy white hem. Everyone had come along, their faces eager to get the caroling over with besides Kaoru and Kenshin, who's faces were filled with bliss. Kenji blew a white puff of frost and scowled. "When are we going to be done with this stupid caroling?" he growled.

Kaoru looked back at him and frowned. "Kenji," she snapped. "Why don't you walk up here with the rest of the family? You've been moping behind us the whole time and you haven't once sang any Christmas carols with us!"

"Hey, just leave the kid alone," Sanosuke interviened. He smiled in Kenji's direction. "If he doesn't want to carol with us, he doesn't have to, missy. So stopped getting so rialed up over it and give it a rest-"

"Stop telling me how to discipline my own child!" Kaoru shot. "I know exactly what I'm doing, so how about _you _give it a rest and shut up!"

"Hey, just because your my cousin doesn't mean you have the right to yell at my husband!" Megumi shot back. "How about you shut _your _mouth?"

"Megumi!" Kenji's mother looked baffled. Her blue eyes swirled with fury. She shot a glare at her husband. "Kenshin, your suppose to be defending me!"

"Oro?"

"Don't you 'oro' me!"

"I'd prefer it if you three quit making such a fuss over-"

"I think we'd _all _prefer it if you kept your nose out of our business, Aoshi!"

"Nobody yells at my soon-to-be husband and gets away with it! Stop acting like such a jerk, Kaoru!"

"Oh so _I'm _the jerk now? Well then-!"

"Wouldya all just shut up-"

"BE QUIET YAHIKO!"

"Stop yelling at little Yahiko!"

"I thought I told you to stop calling me LITTLE!"

Kenji stopped dead in his tracks. He looked to his mother, a seething rage burning in his flaming blue eyes. Everyone came to a hault, their arguements coming to a stand still, turning around to see what was going on. Kenshin trailed to a stop just a few steps ahead of the group, whispering a small, "Oro?" and craning his head back to take a look at what was happening. Kaoru stared at Kenji in silence, her breath caught in her throat as she nervously observed her son.

"Here's a little something for you mom..." Kenji's eyes traveled over the confused faces of each of his relatives until they rested on the concerned face of his father. "...and for all you. I'm sick of dealing with all this crap!" He bundled up the red Santa hat on his head and stamped it to the snowy sidewalk. "Every year, I'm stuck dealing with two parents working through the holidays and relatives who can't even stop arguing if their lives depended on it! I'm sick of it!" His eyes grazed over everyone loathingly. Kenji growled.

"I hope you all have a Merry Christmas, because I'll fill you in on something: _I'm THROUGH with this family! _So have yourselves a holly jolly Christmas. I'm out of here!"

With a grunt, Kenji took off down the sidewalk, kicking up a trail of snow as he went. Kenshin's eyes grew wide. "Kenji!" he called, racing after him. "You come back here this instant!"

But Kenji tuned out his father's commanding calls. Tears streaked down his cherry red cheeks, but he kept running. His lungs screamed for oxygen, burning from the splintering cold air he drew and withdrew between his lips, but still he kept going.

_Nobody understands me! _Kenji tightened his eyes shut and a new flow of tears seaped from his moist eyes. _I'm not loved in this family. Nobody cares about me. Absolutely nobody!_

* * *

><p>At last, he skidded to a stop before the town's large radiantly glowing Christmas tree, panting for air. He felt as though his feet were going to fall off. Kenji glanced over his shoulder. Kenshin was nowhere to be seen. Neither was the rest of his family. His knees gave way and he slumped to the cold pavement in sorrow.<p>

Burying his face in his trembling freezing hands, Kenji began to silently cry, hating his life, hating how things had ended up for himself, hating _everything. _"Why can't we celebrate Christmas like we use to?" he choked out between sobs. "It's not fair!" A light warm weight draped over his shoulders. Shakily, Kenji rose his head to see what it was. It was a baby blue jacket, and small feminine hands held it firmly in place on him. Twisting his head around, Kenji saw a young teen about his age but a little older than himself. She had blonde hair and large anime-like blue eyes. When she caught him staring at her, the girl smiled kindly at him.

Then, she proceeded to ask him a question. "Are you alright little boy?" That simple question seemed to be one of the toughest things the stranger could've asked of poor little Kenji. He sniffled, clutching the jacket around his shivering arms. "I...I don't even know anymore," he wrasped, feeling more tears about to come on. "I think I'm far from being _alright._"

The girl smiled conciderately.

"That's okay," she assured Kenji. "I understand what you must be going through honey."

She tried to give him a sympathetic hug but Kenji quickly jerked his body out of her reach. His eyes stretched in disbelief. "How would you know what I'm going through?" he choked, sniffling again. His eyes narrowed in hostility but were so glossy his glare seemed barely intimidating at all. "You don't know me! You don't know what I had to deal with all those years growing up with parents who could care less about their only child!" His bottom lip trembled and his eyes grew large.

"They don't even care to look for me anymore even though I ran away from them." Kenji hung his head low. "Nobody loves me. Not one person in the world loves me anymore."

This time, the girl wrapped her delicate arms around his small body, and this time, Kenji allowed for her to cuddle him like he was a child again.

He cried into her shoulder, feeling her hand rub him on his back as she soothed him with gentle words and low cooing. He let all those bottled up emotions flood out from his system that he had hidden over the last three years. Kenji no longer cared who saw him cry. He did not care that he was crying on a strangers shoulder. Anyway that he could let all those couped up emotions come out was fine with Kenji.

When the last of his tears ran dry, Kenji wiped his runny nose using the sleeve of his sweater and dried his face with the opposite sleeve. The stranger calmly smiled. "Do you feel better?" she asked, adding softly, "Now that you've let out all your bottled up feelings?" Kenji nodded slowly in response. She shut her eyes. "I'm happy your okay now," she murmured. She opened her eyes and looked at him appreciatively. "I know what your going through right now. My parents were about the same way when I was about your age. They worked all day and all night, leaving me to play by myself and to stay at a friends house during the holidays. It never was fun growing up like that, but that's the way life goes."

She lied a comforting hand on his shoulder. She looked him deep in the eye as she went on. "Don't blame your parents and relatives for how they are. It's not their faults for being the way they are. Always appreciate the little things you have in life, including family. Even if they can get a little out of hand and can be embarrassing to hang around with, that's what family is for. Family is there when you need them most. They love you for who you are, not just what you do. You'll never have any better friends then family. Because unlike friends..."

"...family...is forever. So embrace them with every chance you get, because you never know a good thing until it's gone. And I can tell you one thing little one-" She shut her eyes solemnly and opened them once more. She chuckled. "-you have one of the best families there is. Keep them close to your heart and never forget that they will always be with you...now...and forever."

She stood up, extending a helping hand to Kenji who still sat huddled up on the ground. He smiled just the tiniest bit, taking his hand in hers as she aided in hoisting him up to his feet. When she began to turn away, Kenji cried out, "Wait!"

She stopped in mid-turn, surprise lit in her blue eyes until she saw who had cried out the command and smiled humbly. "Yes sweety?" Kenji shifted his feet. He swallowed hard and bravely rose his eyes to her. Finally, he stammered, "T-thank you for helping me." She dipped her head. "No problem," she replied. "I'm glad I could help." She started walking off.

Suddenly, Kenji realized something and called out, "Um-wait please, Miss!"

She stopped again and turned to face him, blinking with puzzlement. "Hm? What is it?"

"You forgot this." Kenji stumbled up to her, slipping off the baby blue jacket and holding it out to her to take. She lowered her hand only to push the jacket back toward him. Kenji arched a brow, confused.

"You can have it," she said, eyes softening. "You've been through alot. It's the least I can do for you so you don't freeze your butt of out here." Kenji lowered his hands in awe. "T-thank you," he breathed. She dipped her head. "No problem." Then, she added quickly, "Before I leave, do you have anything else you want to ask?"

She stared with expectant big blue eyes. Kenji nodded. "Yeah..." He twiddled his thumbs under the warm jacket and blushed. "...um...would you mind...telling me your name?"

She shook her head. "Of course not sweety. My name is Heather, but you can call me Chii-chan if you'd like." Heather winked. "Chii-chan is what my friends call me." Kenji's face reddened but nonetheless, he smiled. "I-I'm Kenji."

"Well then Kenji, I'll call you Onii-chan. I call all my best friends my brothers or sisters, and your definately one of the newest additions to my friend's list." Heather waved to him, giggling. "See you later, Onii-chan. And don't forget what I told you, okay?"

"Okay!" He waved back, grinning. "Goodbye!" With a final wave, Heather walked away, disappearing off into the distance. Kenji sighed. Glancing up, he looked at the shining golden star atop the festive Christmas tree and smiled. _Maybe my family isn't so bad...afterall..._

* * *

><p>Kenshin, Kaoru and the rest of the gang found Kenji wandering about the streets half an hour later. Kaoru snuggled her son, crying tears of joy. "Oh Kenji, I'm so relieved your alright!"<p>

Kenji replied, "Me too mom."

Kenshin looked mad at Kenji, folding his arms with disapproval after Kaoru released him from a suffocating death-snuggle. His violet eyes were slitted. "Young man," he started. "I'd like for you to explain yourself right now, that I wou-"

Kenji happily ran into his dad, leaving Kenshin's sentence hanging as his son bombarded his leg. The boy cried into Kenshin's pantsleg, coughing out, "I'm really, really s-sorry dad. I didn't mean to run off like that. I'm ashamed of how I've treated you guys these past couple days. I should spend the holidays with you guys, just like you said dad." Kenshin couldn't help but smile. He knelt down, ruffling Kenji's red hair good-naturedly, thinking, _There might be a glimmer of hope yet for this family. _

"This one is happy you understand, that I am." Kenshin sunk Kenji into an affectionate hug after minutes of silence. Tears welled in the corners of his fathers eyes. Kenji noticed but uttered nothing of it, for he felt tears welling in his eyes as well when his Kenshin whispered into his ear, "I love you Kenji."

"I love you too..._dad_."

_Owari_

_Sorry for the length of this one ^^'' I was trying to make it as short as I could, but it ended up a tad bit longer then expected. _

_However, I much enjoyed writing the fluffy ending between the family and Kenji :) If anything, it proved to be quite a challenge to write, but the results to me were fantastic ^-^ In this story, Heather, the bonus character, is the same Heather from my fanfic The Unseen (for those who haven't read it, now you know ^^)Thank you for reading and please don't be shy to review! :D I enjoy reading what others think of it, so please review ^^_

_I hope you enjoyed this story! There is more to come! _

_Until next time, ja ne!_

_~MrFoshizzleProTheWanderor_


	5. Angels We Have Heard On High

_**~Christmas Stories of the Meiji Era~**_

_**~Disclaimer~ Whether it be the Christmas season or not, I, MrFoshizzleProTheWanderor, do not own Rurouni Kenshin ^^;**_

Angels We Have Heard On High

"Hey Sanosuke, can you help me hang the tinsel around the tree?"

"Aww! Why do I always have to do everything little missy?"

"Can I help? Can I help? Can I, can I, can _I_!"

"Now, now everyone. Let's all calm down, ne?"

Kenshin walked into the room just as Yahiko was wrestling Kaoru for the tinsel and Sanosuke was sitting back enjoying the show. He smiled. This year was going to be their first Christmas together and he was excited at the prospect.

They had slaved all Christmas Eve day digging in the storage house trying to find the Christmas decorations. When they finally did, they were having a minor set-back as to where they would put everything. Kaoru was working with the tree Sanosuke brought in after hiking through the woods for the perfect one fit to her specifications. Kenshin, meanwhile, had busied himself in the kitchen preparing the Christmas dinner and Yahiko had been working with wrapping the presents before succuming to boredom and deciding he wanted to do the tinsel around the tree instead.

Slowly, the dojo was becoming more colorful and festive. Kenshin had a feeling this Christmas would surely be one to remember.

Kaoru put the finishing touch on the tree, standing back and grinning at her handy-work. She turned to Kenshin. "So, Kenshin," she said. "What do you think? I've really outdone myself this time, huh?" His violet eyes traveled the length of the pine tree. He arched a brow.

"Miss Kaoru?"

"Yes?"

"This one thinks you might have gone a little overboard with the ribbon on the tree, indeed I do." Nervously, Kenshin sweatdropped. A tense mark pulsed on Kaoru's forehead. She grimaced.

The tree was pratically wrapped in ribbon and tinsel. It was so wrapped up, barely any green needles were visible to the human eye. It looked like an overwrapped present.

Sanosuke decided to put his two-sense in, popping his head behind Kenshin's shoulder and whistling. "Man, it looks like Christmas came and threw up all over that thing!" Yahiko appeared behind Kenshin's opposite shoulder, laughing. "Leave it to ugly to make a mess of things!"

All three men recieved whacks on the head courtesy of Kaoru.

"Oroooo..." Kenshin's eyes turned to pinwheels and he fell backwards. Sanosuke and Yahiko huffed, arms folded in unison and scowls on their faces. Three bumps formed on each of their heads. Kaoru blazed with anger, taking deep breaths to relax. Then, she glared.

"You three are so selfish!" she yelled. "Every time I try and do something nice, you always have to be so...so _ungrateful!" _Kaoru twirled around with her back turned to them, snorting. She put her arms to her sides indignantly, closing her eyes and pointing her nose in the air. "If you _need _me, I'll be in my room! Good_bye_!" Without so much as a glance in their direction, Kaoru stormed off to her room and slammed the shoji door shut.

She sighed and pressed her head to the wall.

"It's not _my_ fault that all I ask for is a good Christmas," she muttered as she climbed into bed and pulled up her covers. Kaoru's anger faultered. "Maybe Miss Tae was wrong about Christmas magic changing people..." Her eyes began growing heavy. She murmured around an upcoming yawn. "...maybe...it would be better if Kenshin and the rest of those inconciderate dopes weren't around for Christmas..."

Kaoru found it difficult to speak and keep her eyes open any longer. As she yawned again, Kaoru felt her eyelids come to a close, and she finally sulked off into a deep undisturbed slumber...that is, until she awoke...

* * *

><p>Kaoru was met by a pair of large lavendar eyes as her own blinked open. She shrieked.<p>

"AH!" Recoiling to the opposite side of the room, her heart was pounding and her eyes were wide. A small boy, about the size of toddler, levitated above her bed. He had auburn hair tied back in a ponytail and wore a pure white kimono. As those big lavendar eyes stared at Kaoru, she shifted uncomforably and swallowed hard.

"W-who are you?" she stammered.

The boy giggled. "Why, I am your angel Miss Kaoru!"

Her eyebrows raised. "Eh? My angel? But thats...impossible..." Kaoru began shaking her head in dibelief. "Nothing is impossible Miss Kaoru!" chirped the child. He flew over to Kaoru and now seated himself in front of her on a puffy white cloud. Kaoru couldn't believe what she was seeing. _I must be dreaming, _Kaoru decided in her head. _That has to be the case. This can't possibly be real._

The boy was toying with his ponytail, working out the knots with much concentration. Kaoru sighed. He looked up at her, flipping his ponytail back. "This one is here to grant your wish, that I am!" He smiled broadly.

Kaoru narrowed her eyes suspiciously. _Something about the way this little boy talks and looks seems awfully familiar... _Finally, it struck her like a snowball to the back of the head.

"Your Kenshin!"

"Oro?" The child blinked, confused.

Kaoru pointed an accusing finger at him, stammering. "Y-yeah! T-that explains everything! Your playing games with me." He stared at her with wide eyes. "You got it all wrong Miss Kaoru!" he retorted. "I am your angel. And..." He scratched the side of his head and blushed. "You are right about me being Kenshin...in a way." Mini-Kenshin looked at her seriously. "But what I don't do is play games. The only reason I'm here is to grant your wish, that is all."

"Wait-" Kaoru furrowed her brows in question. "What wi-"

The shoji doors slid ajar. A cold shot of air burst into the room, hitting Kaoru and causing her to slam into a wall. She grunted, the air knocked from her lungs. It ceased instantly. Opening her eyes, Kaoru saw that everything was as normal as it was before. However, the mini-Kenshin was gone.

_What just happened? _She ran her fingers through her bangs, bewildered. Kaoru glowered. _That little brat... _Rising up, Kaoru cautiously slipped out of her room and tip-toed out into the main room. Her blue eyes scanned the suddenly bare walls and dimly lit area. The decorations were missing and so was the tree. She poked her head into the kitchen. Kenshin wasn't in there.

Kaoru reeled her head out, dismayed. "What did that little kid do?" she whispered.

She ran hurriedly room to room and searched out in the dojo yard in the hopes of seeing one of the boys. Sadly, her search came to no success, and after half an hour of looking Kaoru decided to relax and take a break.

She sat at the table with the side of her cheek held in the palm of her hand. She peered out the doors leading to the porch. The only sound heard was the rustling of the bare branches of trees and the hushed wind. Not a single ounce of life made itself known. For the first time in years Kaoru felt a sense of loneliness creep into the depths of her heart.

_Where did everyone go?_

"Hello Kaoru!" She jumped. Her eyes lit with hope as a chorus of voices joined in. "Hi Kaoru!" _They're back...!_

She slipped outside faster than a cheetah. Kaoru was thrilled at the thought of finding them. However, to her disappointment, it was only Dr. Gensai and the two little girls Ayame and Suzume. The boys were nowhere in sight. Her excitement faultered.

"Oh...it's you Dr. Gensai." Kaoru tried sounding happy but the words just didn't seem to quite have that light needed to make it convincing. The old doctor arched a furry gray brow. He asked, "Kaoru, is this a bad time to be showing up? We could always come next time if you'd like-"

"Oh, no." Kaoru shook her head and forced a smile. "Please...come in. I'll go prepare some tea." She slid the shoji door open wide enough to let the doctor and his grandchildren enter. Then with a sigh, Kaoru followed shortly after while shutting it behind. Ayame spoke up from her perch at the end of the table. "Yay! It's Christmas Eve Auntie Kaoru!"

Suzume joined in joyously. "Yay! It Christmas Eve Auntie Kaoru! It Christmas Eve!"

Kaoru smiled at that.

She poured a cup of freshly hot tea for Dr. Gensai then some for herself. She offered the two sisters some nice hot _mochi _(A/N: Mochi is steamed glutinous rice pounded with a mortar and pestel) but Ayame and Suzume politely refused. Kaoru sat the _mochi _in the center of the table and took a seat next to Dr. Gensai. An eerie silence swept over the room. Kaoru lost herself in a train of thought all the while.

_That supposed 'angel' must've done something screwy. What else could be a possible explanation for all this? _"You have every right to blame this one for what has happened, that you do." Kaoru whipped her head around, coming face to face with mini-Kenshin. The little angel sat with his legs criss-crossed and his hands lying in the empty space made by his crossed legs. His violet eyes were partly closed, making him appear far older than he was. Kaoru frowned.

"What did you do, you little creep?"

Wincing, mini-Kenshin replied, "I granted your wish. That's all I did."

Kaoru's eyes stretched. "My wish?" She couldn't believe the rubbish she was hearing. "What wish? I don't remember making any wish of the sort!"

Mini-Kenshin huffed. "That is where you are wrong Miss Kaoru." He looked her in the eye and explained. "You wished that Kenshin, Sanosuke and Yahiko weren't around for Christmas because you said they were being inconciderate dopes." She gaped, dismayed. _That's what I wished for? For Kenshin and them not to be here for Christmas? _"Oh no." Kaoru shook her head, laughing pitifully at her situation. "This _cannot_ be happening to me. There is no way that's possible." She was about to argue with the so-called angel when Dr. Gensai's voice stopped her.

"Kaoru? Are you alright?"

She glanced over, seeing a concerned look flash across the old doctors face and a look of utter puzzlement cloud the childrens. Kaoru nodded, chuckling awkwardly. "Yeah. I'm fine," she replied reassuringly. "I was just talking to-" Kaoru trailed off. The child had once again vanished into thin air. Now Dr. Gensai was staring at her with very much worry. He placed his wrinkled hand upon her forehead and his free hand over his own forehead. "Are you feeling alright my dear? This winter weather must be getting to you."

Kaoru pushed herself away from his reach. "I'm okay Dr. Gensai. Believe me, I am." She added a quick question just as he pressed the brim of the tea cup to his lips to take a sip from it. "Oh -um- doctor? You wouldn't happen to know where Kenshin, Sanosuke and Yahiko are would you?"

Dr. Gensai stopped in mid-sip. He gawked at her as if she had two heads growing out the side of her neck. Kaoru blinked. "Kenshin...?" he muttered. "Sanosuke...Yahiko? Where on Earth are you getting these names from?"

"Dr. Gensai!" Kaoru bolted up indignantly, nearly flipping the table in the process. "Don't play dumb!"

"I am not Kaoru. I really have no idea what you are talking about." He went back to sipping his tea nervously.

Kaoru turned her blue eyes to Suzume and Ayame who were both cowering behind the doctor's back fearfully. "You two. You both remember Kenshin, Sanosuke and Yahiko, don't you?" Her hope dropped when she saw not a sign of recognization through their eyes. She tried again. "Ayame. Suzume. Remember Kenshin? You always called him Uncle Kenny and stood by his side while he did laundry. You always got him to play with you even if he was busy doing something else. You treated him, Yahiko and Sanosuke like family." It still had no effect on them.

"They don't remember them because they never existed." Kaoru heard mini-Kenshin's voice sound from beside her. She turned around to face him, eyebrows raised. "I don't understand," she told him. "What do you mean 'they never existed'?" Kaoru was terrified to know the answer.

Mini-Kenshin teetered on the edge of his cloud, closing his eyes. "Since you didn't want them around for Christmas, they disappeared from existence. That's what you wished for-" His eyes slitted with intrest. "-isn't it?"

"No!" Instantly, she collapsed down to her knees in astonishment. Kaoru blocked out Dr. Gensai, Suzume and Ayame. She was in no mood to hear what they had to say to her. Big drops of clear tears glistened in the corners of Kaoru's quivering eyes. Her bottom lip trembled. She was overwhelmed by the rain of sorrow washing over herself, she didn't notice the angel was slowly fading out of sight. Nevertheless, when Kaoru realized this at last, it was too late. He was gone again, leaving Kaoru alone to be consumed by her guilt and sadness.

"Little angel!" she cried, bolting up and tearing through the dojo in desperation. "Please come back! I don't want to be left alone! I want you to take my wish back!" Kaoru barely ripped open the shojo doors as she scrambled outside into the cold chilly air. She was thrashing her head left to right, twirling around on the balls of her feet, sheer agony claiming her heart. "Little angel!" Kaoru repeated. Warm flowing tears came down her cheeks.

She sniffled. Her legs felt like jelly as she slowed to a hault. The snowflakes took their oppertunity to decend from the unforgiving sky and rough winds whipped her hair into her face. Kaoru buried her face into her hands and sobbed.

_They're not coming back! _The thought of going on with her holiday without her friends by her side was gut-wrenching. "I...don't care...whether...their the most annoying, inconciderate morons in the world!" she choked, sobbing harder. "I just...want my friends back." She stumbled back and hit the side of the dojo with a thump, sinking down to the freezing bare ground, not caring whether the back of her kimono got soaked.

"I wish for Kenshin...and Sanosuke..." Kaoru tried drying her tear-soaked cheeks using the sleeve of her kimono to no avail. "...and...even Yahiko..._to come back to the dojo and celebrate Christmas with me again..."_

And like magic, Kaoru's wish became a reality. The first thing Kaoru noticed as she groggily rose her head from her hands was the sudden illumination of light shimmering out through the opened shoji doors. Then, as Kaoru grew curious, low muffled noises came from inside the dojo. Finally, just as Kaoru was getting up to head inside and investigate, a familiar spikey-haired figure stepped onto the porch.

She gasped.

Sanosuke said, "Hey little missy. What are you doin' out here? It has to be below freezing or somethin!"

"Sanosuke!"

"Argh!"

The tall ex-gangster would have almost fallen backwards if it hadn't been for Yahiko who showed up behind him. "Hey!" the young boy shouted, growling with irritance. "Whatdya do that for idiot?" His flaring brown eyes landed on Kaoru who was busy hugging the life from Sanosuke. He arched a quizzical brow and muttered, "Wow, what's gotten into ugly? She acts like she hasn't seen ya in forever Sano-"

"Oh Yahiko! My stubborn little apprentice you!" Kaoru lunged at the boy and nearly smothered him with her hug. Yahiko blushed perfusely. "Hey! What's the big idea, ugly?" He tried wrestling out of her hold but failed miserably. "You've never been this excited to see _me _before!" A new flow of tears came out of her closed eyes; they were tears of happiness instead of sadness. She whispered, "Thank you so much angel. I promise, I'll never take my friends for granite again."

Kaoru released the still blushing Yahiko. Nervously, she asked, "Um...have any of you seen Kenshin around?" Before either Sanosuke or Yahiko could answer, it seemed a certain red head arrived just in time to answer for the three. Kenshin had his kimono sleeves rolled up to his shoulders and a frilly white aupron tied around his waist. He was holding an upside down black cat in one hand while in his other hand he held a turkey leg clamped between the feline's small jaws.

It was a comical sight to behold, and Kaoru laughed her heart out even through the hug she gave the surprised rurouni. Sanosuke and Yahiko were standing by, amused smirks wiping across their faces. The cat and the turkey leg were long forgotten by Kenshin. He was more focused on the newer situation at hand. His face was crimson red and he swallowed a sudden lump that formed in his throat.

"M-Miss Kaoru..." he began. "D-d-did you -by chance- hit your head on something while you were in your room? You seem awfully..." Kenshin trailed off. Soft lips fluttered on his left cheek, drawing away fast. Kenshin gaped in awe. Kaoru blushed slightly, eyes shining. "I'm so happy to see you again," she murmured. She turned to Sanosuke and Yahiko. "And the same goes for you two too. No matter how much you guys annoy me at times, I just want you to know that I love each and every one of you."

She shut her eyes and chuckled. "Without you three, Christmas somehow wouldn't be the same." Kenshin slowly smiled, his cheek still burning on the spot where Kaoru had kissed him. The Kamiya girl scampered inside, throwing her hands in the air and exclaiming, "Whoo! Let's have some of that turkey Kenshin! I feel like I haven't had a bite to eat in ages!"

As the Kenshin-gumi sat around the table to enjoy the traditional Christmas dinner, a small child perched on top of the Christmas tree, smiling triumphantly. "Well," he whispered quietly. "Looks like my work here is done." Mini-Kenshin was preparing to leave but stopped himself abruptly. "Oops, this one almost forgot something!" He dug a hand into his gi and gripped something tightly in his tiny clenched fist. With a mischivious gleam in his violet eye, he threw the object that was in his hand and watched it land perfectly on top of the tree, dipping his head in satisfaction.

"There we are. That 'ought to do it, indeed it should!"

He whisked out the kitchen window with a wink aimed at no one in particular. Amid the top of the tree lied a brightly glowing object. In the center of the object was a small hologram-like photo of Kenshin, Kaoru, Sanosuke and Yahiko all crowded close together, beaming happy smiles that protrayed the close bond these four friends shared till the end of time.

It would truly be a bond they would treasure forever more...

* * *

><p><em><span>Owari<span>_

_Thank you for reading! :D A thousand apologies for the late update. I'm trying to upload a new story to this fanfic every day, but sadly I didn't finish this story till today. I went back, erased and fixed alot of mistakes and improved ideas until I was satisfied with it at last. I am kind of iffy with this particular story, but I surely hope you liked it nonetheless :)_

_Please review if you can! I enjoy reading your thoughts on how I'm doing and what you think :)_

_There is still more to come! Keep reading, and until next time, ja ne!_

_~MrFoshizzleProTheWanderor_


	6. Christmas Lovers

_**~Christmas Stories of the Meiji Era~**_

_**~Disclaimer~ Whether it be the Christmas season or not, I, MrFoshizzleProTheWanderor, do not own Rurouni Kenshin ^^'' **_

**Christmas Lovers**

Driving down the road in her new silver Toyota, Megumi Takani exhaled a long, breathy sigh. _Well, at least now I'm finished shopping, _she told herself assuringly. But she grimaced.

This had been the fifth time in one night for Megumi to have to go grocery shopping. Her young eighteen year old sister Kaoru was learning how to cook, but things were not taking a turn for the best.

"I'm surprised that girl hasn't burned the house down yet."

She sighed again and adjusted her rearview mirror. There never seemed to be a day with Kaoru that led to no surprises. Megumi counted herself lucky that at least _she _knew what to expect from the enthusiastic young girl. Everyone else just counted themselves lucky that they knew where the back door was to escape with their heads still attached to their necks.

Out of the corner of her eye, Megumi spotted a strange sight from the side of the road. Two men were awkwardly strolling around with their arms behind eachothers backs. One of the men, a man with auburn hair, was having trouble keeping his feet planted to the ground. He was being supported by the arm of the much taller man with dark spikey brown hair. They both appeared to be in horrible states that Megumi only knew of oh so well.

_These two men are drunk. _Teal eyes narrowed, she switched her car in reverse as it drove past the two and backed up to a stop further away. When they came by her window, Megumi rolled it down and caught the red haired man's jacket sleeve. While the tall man wobbled on, the red head lagged behind and was yanked back by her forceful tug.

He yelped, "Oro!"

Megumi shouted after the other man. "Hey! Where do you think yourgoing?"

Halting, his spikey head turned. A look of blurred confusion marked his face, and as Megumi watched on, his unfocused gaze landed on his friend and he slurred, "H-hey...whatcha doin' with my friend...lady?"

"Save your questions for later." She opened her door and climbed out, slamming it shut and stroding up to the drunk man with his buddy being dragged along behind. Megumi came nose to nose with him. She frowned, the bitter tang of alchohol hanging loosely between them. She asked, "Just what do you think your doing wandering the roads as drunk as the two of you are? You could cause serious car accidents on busy lanes like this!"

The red head caught Megumi's hand and released his sleeve from her grip. She whipped her head around. Staggering to his feet, he swayed to and fro with a hand clamped over the top of his head. He said, "There...isn't any need to worry Miss. My friend here is still a little drunk, but I've been suffering from...a massive hang-over for the past hour or so."

From the serious look reflecting in his violet eyes, Megumi knew he was telling the truth. However, she remained where she was and made no motion to leave empty handed.

"Why don't the two of you come with me in my car? I can take you back to my place and doctor that hang-over of yours Sir." Both men exchanged unsure glances with eachother. Megumi added, "And I'll provide you both with a place to stay no charge." Finally, they both reluctantly agreed and hopped into her Toyota without arguement.

On the way back to her house, Megumi had found out a few things about these two strangers. The red head's name was Kenshin Himura and the spikey haired guy was his half-brother Sanosuke Sagara. Kenshin spoke with her as much as his hang-over would allow. He explained that they were trying to get home after spending the entire day drinking at a local bar.

"As usual, my brother coaxed me into having a few drinks with him even though he knew how I felt about drinking alchohol." Kenshin shook his head, ashamed of himself. Megumi offered him a sympathetic smile. "It's aright Sir Ken. I'm not angry at either of you. I'm just glad I found you two before things got out of hand."

Kenshin had arched a brow at the nickname she had given him. She meerly chuckled and turned her attention back to the road. When she parked on the side of the house, Megumi stepped out and helped Sanosuke and Kenshin to their feet when they came out of the car. Then, with her arms around them both, she heaved them to the front door and managed to make it inside before her legs gave way to their combined weight.

Immediately, an ebony haired girl rushed to the front foyer, blue eyes large. They flashed with alarm. "Megumi! What on earth..." Her wary eyes lingered to the two men and she blushed slightly. "...who are they?" Megumi struggled free of Kenshin and Sanosuke's heavy bodies and stood up, brushing dust off her baby-blue sweater.

She replied nonchalantly, "They're just a couple of guys I picked up off the side of the road. They mean no harm to us. One of them is drunk and the other has a massive hang-over is all-"

Kaoru's eyes bugged out of her head. "And you brought them _home _with you?" It was as if Megumi had grown two heads the way her sister blinked at her. "Megumi, what in the right mind were you thinking!"

"Irf I mrfy hrve er sph in thff..." Megumi turned around to see Kenshin lifting himself groggily off the floor, tossing Sanosuke's stray arm from his neck as he repeated more clearly, "If I may have a say in this Miss, we really will not harm you, that we most certainly won't." His luxurious violet eyes softened and his smile shined. Kaoru found herself blushing perfusely and it seemed as though all her worries had been forgotten.

"I -uh-" Kaoru was at a loss for words. Smirking inwardly, Megumi cut between them before any awkwardness arose. She said, "Well, now that that is settled, why don't I help with that hang-over of yours Sir Ken, hm?"

Kenshin must have been caught under the same spell, because when he heard Megumi speak, his head seemed to be in a whole other world. He murmured quietly, "Um...sure. Let's do that." Not once did his gaze break from Kaoru's even as Megumi hauled him out of the foyer into a seperate room. As Kaoru watched them vanish around the corner of the hall, she noticed Sanosuke's unconcious body still lied on the floor.

"Megumi!" Kaoru called. "What about the other one!"

* * *

><p>"Thank you very much Miss Megumi." Kenshin bowed deeply to the woman in gratitude. She smiled. "It was nothing," she said. "I simply did what any other person would've done to cure a hang-over." She glanced over at Sanosuke who had a pillow clenched over his head and was groaning with pain.<p>

"Your friend on the other hand may need a little more fixing up before he's back on his feet."

Kenshin chuckled sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head. "Heheh..sorry about that," he apoligized. "Sano tends to bite off more than he can chew, he does." Megumi glanced at Kenshin. "Did you say something?"

Kenshin sweatdropped.

Megumi looked back to Sanosuke, already preparing to treat him of his hetrocious hang-over. Over her shoulder, she suggesteed to the cross-shaped scar red head, "How about you go and find my sister? I'm sure she'll keep you occupied for as long as it takes to cure your friend." Kenshin's eyes widened in surprise but he nodded vigorously to her suggestion, a streak of blush forming on his cheeks as he backed out of the living room.

Megumi smiled.

After almost two hours worth of care, Sanosuke was beginning to feel good enough to sit up without a whimper of pain from the headache he endured. Megumi gave him a glass of water to sip and two pills, but he passed her offer up lightly. "I don't think the water and pills are necessary Vixen," said Sanosuke, leaning back against the cushions of the couch. "I feel alot better then I did earlier."

Megumi sat the pills and glass down on the coffee table. "Alright," she agreed. "If you say so. But don't come crying to me if your head starts pounding."

Sanosuke shrugged. "Eh, I can deal with that."

An eerie silence swathed the room. Megumi, meanwhile, had her thoughts preoccupied about whether Kaoru had taken the groceries out of the trunk of her car. _For all she's worth, I certainly hope she has. _She felt she was being watched so she turned her gaze on the perpetraitor instantly. And just like that, she was astonished.

Sanosuke's brown eyes gleamed when he caught her staring back at him so surprised. Megumi swallowed hard to clear the lump in her throat. _Why is he looking at me like that? _Megumi wondered. As if he had heard her thoughts, Sanosuke said, "You know, I didn't notice it while I was drunk-" He smirked. "-but your pretty cute for a fox lady."

Her eyes turned to unfazed slits. "Is that so?" she asked dryly. _Already the man starts hitting on me when he has no idea who I am... _

Sanosuke nodded, not bothered by her dry tone.

Megumi frowned. Just before she could part her jaws to speak, the front door bursted wide open and sent a chilly spray of snow into the foyer. Kaoru struggled into the house with a bundle of heavy plastic bags followed close behind by Kenshin. He seemed to be wrapped up in the same situation as Megumi's poor sister. His arms were filled with bags and his indigo scarf barely escaped the wrath of the trecherous door as it slammed shut upon his entry.

Both their noses were crimson red and Megumi could not control the fits of giggles that erupted from her throat. "Need some help over there Kaoru?" she asked between fits of laughter. Face reddening, Kaoru glowered. "Actually," she replied coldly. "I think I'm getting along just fine. At least Kenshin was kind enough to help, unlike _some_ person I know."

"Oro?"

Ignoring the girl's biting remark, Megumi helped the two of them carry the groceries to the kitchen and place them in the cupboards and fridge. She still could not believe the food survived unscathed. Nevertheless, Megumi was happy it did. _At least we can have a decent dinner tonight. _

She turned around to head back into the living room when a hand on her shoulder stopped her abruptly. Her eyes widened in surprise. Megumi faced the person, her heart catching in her throat as she locked eyes with Sanosuke, seeing a glint capture in the corner of his brown eye.

"I want to thank you for helping me and Kenshin out," he explained, grinning. "I guess even a woman who plays hard to get is still a good woman deep down inside."

_What does he mean by that? _Megumi thought curiously, eyeing the tall man standing before her rather uneasily. She hadn't noticed the heat flowing through her cheeks until she broke her gaze away from him. She felt utterly humiliated to think he might have seen her blushing, and she felt more disappointed with herself for allowing herself to possibly be falling for this man. _You barely no a thing about him, yet you feel an attraction to him! _

She shook her head viciously.

_Megumi Takani, _what _is the matter with you?_

* * *

><p>The dinner was splendidly prepared by Megumi that night. She had bickered then brawled with her sister about who would cook, but in the end she was the one holding the wooden spoon proudly in hand. <em>I swear...<em>

Megumi took her place at the table with a heavy sigh. _Kaoru can be such a child. _

It hadn't been easy to make the meal. Not only Kaoru interfered, but it seemed everyone was in on it and wanted to lend a helping hand. She knew all too well the tricks her sister would pull to try to find some way to cook. However, the two men residing as guests in her home were unpredictable, so she felt pratically vulnerable with them hopping around like grasshoppers.

As Kaoru and Kenshin sat close together toward the opposite end of the table, Megumi heard the shift of the chair next to her and saw Sanosuke place himself next to her with a smile plastered on his face. She huffed, acting as though she could care less where he sat, squirming in her seat as she tried to find a comfortable sitting position that would inable her to see Sanosuke's face.

Megumi felt no need to look the man in the eye. All she was concentrated on was how well the food tasted and the confersation she was trying to start with Kenshin.

"Mmm! Why, this food is filled with such flavor! Wouldn't you agree Sir Ken?"

Kenshin seemed as though he had zoned out of the confersation completely, because when he noticed her eyes focused directly on him, he blinked then vigorously nodded.

"Uh-huh!" he squeaked. He flushed and decided to dart his gaze away from her and instead to his piece of turkey he was toying with using a fork.

An awkward silence quickly filled the void of utter confusion among the observers. Only the low voice of Sanosuke broke the spell cast over them all. He said, "Well, whoever cooked the food sure did a great job." He stuffed a mouthful of stuffing into his mouth and continued to talk through the food he was chewing, much to everyones disgust.

Megumi tore her eyes off Sanosuke, tongue sticking out in a silent, "Eww." What _was _she honestly seeing in this man? _He's a complete slob! I certainly wouldn't tolerate such manners in my house!_

She tried once more to start a confersation with Kenshin."You know-" Megumi started. Kenshin faced her, a spoon piled high with mash potatoes hanging close to his slightly open jaw. "-my little sister, Kaoru, actually prepared tonights dinner for us. Isn't that right, Kaoru?"

Kaoru choked on her punch. Coughing up remnants of punch caught in her wind-pipe, she glanced at Megumi with astonished eyes. "E...excuse me?" she spluttered, puzzled. Megumi snuck a secretive wink in her direction, ignoring Kaoru's eyes stretch in dismay.

"She did?" Kenshin murmured, uncertainty clouding his expression.

Megumi clasped her hands together and laughed. "Yep, she sure did! Oh-ho-ho-ho!" Her fox ears perked up which in turn caused everyone to sweatdrop. She rambled on.

"You wouldn't believe what a wonderful cook Kaoru's turned out to be Kenshin! She is simply amazing!"

"Megumi..." Kaoru started to turn scarlet.

"I mean, seriously. Would you not agree that she should have her own cooking show?"

"_Megumi_...!"

Kenshin scratched his head. A thoughtful look crossed his face. "Well I-"

"Of course you would! And more so, did you know Kaoru-"

"MEGU-"

"Yo Vixen."

Megumi jumped, startled by Sanosuke's voice. He rose from his chair, flashing a wink in her to her. She blushed but scowled. He smirked and looked to Kaoru. "If it's alright with you, can I borrow your sister for a moment? I promise to bring her right back."

Numbly, Kaoru granted him permission with a dip of her head. Megumi got up indignantly from her chair. She glared at her sister then to Sanosuke. "Do you honestly think you can act as though I belong to you?" she remarked bitterly. He shrugged as a reply. Megumi's eyes narrowed.

"Well, we'll be back in a few." Sanosuke twined his arm through Megumi's and saluted Kaoru and Kenshin off nonchalantly. The two exchanged curious glances but bobbed their heads, agreeing in unison, "Okay."

Sanosuke grinned at Kenshin.

"While I'm gone," he murmured quiet enough for only Kenshin to hear. "How about you try puttin' the moves on the little missy? She seems fond of you enough already."

Kenshin turned a pale shade of pink. "_Sano_...!" he hissed.

Sanosuke just laughed.

* * *

><p>"This better be good for dragging me outside in the freezing snow!"<p>

Megumi wrenched her arm free of Sanosuke's hold. He let her go without a word. He muttered, "Don't get your tail in a knot. It is important. Actually, it kind of rests on a man's life."

Now Megumi was at full attention. She looked Sanosuke over carefully, feeling her stomach churn and her heart pound. _Why do I feel so...strange all of the sudden?_

"Megumi..."

Her name breathed through the lips of this man made her heart stop.

He took a step toward her.

Megumi hesitated to flee, yet felt reluctant to stay. _Why is he looking at me so strangely? _His brown eyes no longer beheld that joking nature he showed around Kaoru and Kenshin. Instead, they sparkled brighter than the skies stars, an emotion Megumi had never thought she'd see in his eyes.

Sanosuke whispered, "...I've given this alot of thought...and I made up my mind."

His eyes locked with hers, and Megumi felt trapped against his captivating stare.

"I love you."

Immediatly, those three words slammed deep down into the recesses of her heart. She felt her body quaver, her heart lurch, and her face redden. She was speechless. _He's only just met me and now he's saying he loves me?_

Sanosuke twined his fingers in hers, his expression seldom. "I know we just met. We just met afterall. But..." His eyebrows furrowed. "...there's something about you...that really gives me a funny feeling in my stomach."

So, he felt the same as her...?

"And -if you'll allow- I'd like to take things slow and build a relationship with you."

"Sanosuke...I...don't know what to say-"

"Then let me help you out."

He pressed his firm lips against hers, relaxing his lips and caressing her cheek in hand. Megumi stiffened. Though she was still unsure of her feelings, this kiss made all her doubts disappear and she indulged in it as much as possible, running her fingers through his spikey hair.

When they pulled apart, Megumi couldn't believe what had happened. _What am I doing? I can't involve myself in such romances. Not when I have a little sister to care and provide for. _Somehow, just by looking into Sanosuke's twinkling eyes, Megumi had a feeling they could make their relationship work.

"So-" he said, smirking. "-you wanna head back in and check on Kenshin and Kaoru?"

Megumi smiled. "Sure," she replied.

She looped her arm through his, resting her head upon his shoulder.

"That sounds nice."

* * *

><p><em>Owari<em>

_A thousand apologies for the late update and for hurrying this story. I wanted to get as much done as I could so I could wish you all a Merry Christmas. It's Christmas Eve and Christmas is only one day away! I hope you enjoyed this story even though towards the end I kind of rushed through it._

_Merry Christmas!_

_Until we meet again,_

_Ja ne!_

_MrFoshizzleProTheWanderor_


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